Devotion
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: Beowulf and Reis remember their tried and true devotion to each other, and the trials that tested their love. / Beowulf/Reis drabble


The rest of Ramza's party was asleep this night. Agrias and Mustadio near the ruins of an old temple, Balthier, Orlandu, Cloud, and even Boco the chocobo slept peacefully in the cool shadows. The group had recently fought off more of the mercenaries sent to kill them, all with relative ease under Ramza's leadership, and now their reward was peace for the time being.

That included the former Templar named Beowulf, and his beloved Reis. The two sat atop a hill not too far from the camp. Reis sat next to Beowulf, and she lay her head upon his left shoulder. Using his cape as a light blanket, Reis had her eyes closed while lightly clutching his left arm. Not asleep, but at peace with herself, as she was by Beowulf's side.

The knight was looking up at the stars above their heads, more often than not looking at Reis's face as she found a more permanent place on his arm. Beowulf moved some of her long blond hair from her face with his free hand, remembering that just recently the woman he devoted himself to had been the victim of a spell. That was all because of a jealous Celebrant by the name of Bremondt, a man who despised Beowulf for his love of Reis, whom the Celebrant had affection for.

It had happened long ago, in Lionel. Beowulf would never forget that day, as he had thought he had lost Reis forever...

_*The day for Reis and Beowulf to wed had been approaching fast, but due to the War between Goltanna and Larg it was impossible for them to marry in any of the main warring nations. To make matters worse, Celebrant Bremondt was harassing Beowulf to take Reis away from him. Bremondt was a weak, timid, but politically powerful man who had taken the lordship of Lionel from the recently deceased Cardinal Delacroix. With the church backing him, Bremondt would not bless the union of Reis and Beowulf while in Lionel territory. Beowulf had expected this long before, and was all but ready to forsake his title of Templar Knight to elope with Reis to Romanda, where they could live as best they could. Talking Reis into leaving would be the toughest trial, she loved her homeland almost as much as she loved Beowulf. Beowulf loved Lionel too, he grew up there, lived there, and before the war had family there. But for Reis and her safety, he would sacrifice any and all to be happy with her._

_However, when Beowulf arrived at Reis's home, he saw her being dragged away by that infernal Bremondt and his men. Drawing sword he struck down all that stood in his way to rescue Reis. He successfully did, but the Celebrant had an ace up his sleeve._

_A curse, prepared just for him._

_The spell had been cast before Beowulf could use his skills of the Templar, and there seemed to be no way for Beowulf to withstand it—_

_"No, Beowulf!" With the cry of his name Reis shoved Beowulf out of the way, and took the full brunt of the curse for him. An act of selfless love for him._

_The curse had turned the beautiful Reis into a large, ferocious purple dragon. As the shocked Beowulf lay on his knees, unable to cope with losing Reis, he turned his blade to the Celebrant who had done the magick, but the man had fled at not only what he done to Reis but to avoid the heated vengeance of Beowulf._

_Quickly forgetting the coward, Beowulf then turned back to Reis, but she had fled as well, to the north. Despite his overwhelming grief, Beowulf vowed to find Reis, and turn her back so he could be with her again.*_

"My love?"

Beowulf looked back to Reis, whose eyes were looking up at his. "You appear to be lost in the stars, I hope there's naught troubling you."

Beowulf smiled, "Nay, 'tis nothing."

"It's been too long since we've spent time like this together, with all that has happened, I thought our times of peace were long gone," Reis said, her voice going into a near whisper that Beowulf heard.

The knight nodded, "I still find it hard to believe what has transpired in the last few weeks."

As Reis nodded lightly she sat up a bit straighter, "I was scared."

"Of being a dragon?"

"Not just that. Imagine being a dragon, as a child, it is easy because you are not afraid to know. But when it actually happened, I panicked, and ran. I was unable to make out what had happened to me, and I fell to the basic instinct of surviving, I was never so scared in my life as I was then..."

Reassuringly, Beowulf took Reis's left hand with his right, the familiar feeling of being powerless returning to his mind, and he remembered what he had done when he had finally found Reis.

_*Beowulf had traveled far and wide searching for Reis, masquerading as a hunter to snoop under the watchful eyes of the church. He traced the trail of Reis north near Lesalia, and decided to make his next move. That was when Beowulf met Ramza. To make a long story short, the two had met in a pub to try and hunt a dragon. Beowulf kept his identity a secret to make sure he could trust Ramza, but in the end he was glad he did trust him. They found Reis in the bowels of Golund, and they 'captured' her. While she had been weary and scared of being in a dragon's body, Reis seemed to recognize the knight, and remained with him while they fought through the armies of the war searching for a cure._

_It wasn't too long afterward that Beowulf beloved he had found one. Ramza had been searching for the rare auracite known as the Zodiac Stones, and Cancer seemed to react to Reis whenever she was near. Ramza had seen with his own eyes that the stones granted almost impossible spells upon those who possessed them, but even he didn't seem convinced that Beowulf's plan of using the stone to cure Reis would work. But they tried it nonetheless at Nelveska Temple._

_And to Ramza's shock, and Beowulf's joy, it worked._

_Reis was no longer the dragon she had been moments before. She was once again the woman Beowulf loved. The two embraced, and they both prayed it would remain this way for good._

_Sadly, one last wound had to be sealed before they could enjoy their peace.*_

Beowulf returned his gaze to Reis, who was now looking at him with a small smile played on her lips, "We finally been reunited, but even after so long, he couldn't stand to have me with you."

Beowulf knew exactly who she spoke of, and it filled him with anger at even the mention of his name.

*_Traveling south to Lionel with Ramza and company, Reis had requested to stop in Lionel. Ramza had little to object to, since he needed to be resupplied there. Beowulf took this time to be with Reis as they looked upon their former homeland, feeling despair since they both knew they could never return there. Not since Beowulf had been branded a heretic, and Reis being deemed his accomplice in the quarrel. Still, as they looked out into the countryside, Reis was suddenly swept away again. To Beowulf's shock it was not Bremondt, but one of his men and Beowulf's former comrades Ser Aliste._

_"Come to the Castle if you wish to retrieve Reis," said the knight._

_Beowulf made haste to the castle, with Ramza offering assistance. Taking the advice of Orlandu, Beowulf accepted the group's help._

_After traveling to the castle, and defeating Aliste, Beowulf finally came face to face with Bremondt. The old fool berated Beowulf for 'deceiving' Reis into loving him, and claimed that he, Bremondt, would remain with Reis for the rest of her life._

_Not willing to hear any of it, Beowulf ordered Reis be returned to him. Of course, Bremondt refused and sent a group of mercenaries to eradicate Beowulf and his friends. Bremondt soon felt the wrath of Beowulf's sword, but when he fell the Celebrant transformed into a black dragon using old dark magick._

_This only provided him with a few more minutes of life before he was slain again, this time forever. His final words were, "Reis is mine," to which Beowulf replied, "Reis belongs to no one."_

_Searching the castle, Ramza and Beowulf soon found Reis unharmed in Delacroix's holy room. Beowulf and Reis were reunited again, this time hopefully forever.*_

Which brought the two to now, mere hours after facing being separated for all time. Beowulf had his sword near him again, just in case something were to happen.

"Beowulf..."

The knight looked at Reis, a smile coming over his face, "Yes, love?"

She adjusted herself to where she was looking right into his eyes, hers unblinking and full of passion, 'Don't ever leave me. Always be with me, for I could never live without you."

Beowulf smiled, his right hand softly touching her left cheek, "I vow to remain by your side, and I will, forever and ever, as long as I shall live."

Reis put her left hand over the hand on her cheek, and she smiled deep in bliss. One she never wanted to leave.


End file.
